1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rendering content, and more specifically, to scaling content to a desired duration.
2. Background
Growth of the Internet has provided users many different options in the types and scheduling of content that may be viewed or interacted with by a user. For example, users may download content for viewing at a time immediately following the download, or for storing the content and viewing it at a later time. The content that users can access from a wide area network such as the Internet can be variable in size or length, and can also be scheduled or unscheduled.
Some types of content occur, or become available, on a fixed schedule. For example, content that is provided by a broadcast network such as a television broadcast network, may occur on a fixed schedule. Typically, in a broadcast network, a particular program may begin at a fixed time, such as 7:00 pm every Tuesday evening. A user who wishes to view this particular program receives streaming video of the broadcast at the scheduled time, for example, 7:00 pm on Tuesday evening.
Because users now have access to variable length and unscheduled content, such as downloadable content, and also access to scheduled, fixed-length content such as broadcast content, the user needs to coordinate the viewing of this content. Coordination of variable and fixed length content, and scheduled and unscheduled broadcast times, may result in lapses or dead times between the end of one piece of content and beginning of a second piece of content. These gaps between the content may be undesirable or unacceptable to viewer.
In addition, some of the content may include material that a user considers objectionable. A user may wish to view the content but wants the objectionable material removed. Removable of the objectionable material will vary the length of the content which will increase the difficulties in scheduling various content that a user views and can compound the problems of lapses or gaps between the content.
Therefore, there is a need for techniques to scale content and to improve scheduling of content.